Not as one link everyone shares, but as their own link, so you can tell who’s opened it, revoke access for just one person if you need to, and know exactly whose copy is whose if something goes wrong.

Until now, that meant uploading the same file over and over, giving each upload a name you’d forget in a week, and scrolling through a dashboard full of identical filenames trying to remember which link belonged to whom.

Four new things fix that. Here’s what’s new in our PDF Hosting tool, and how to actually use it.

Give every copy a name you’ll recognize

The most basic problem first: if you share the same file with ten people, your dashboard used to show ten identical rows — script-final-v3.pdf, script-final-v3.pdf, script-final-v3.pdf — with no way to tell them apart without opening each one.

Now, any share can have a Display Title. Open a link’s Edit page, give it a name — “Sarah Jones — Crew Copy,” “Acme Corp Contract,” whatever makes sense to you — and that name shows up everywhere: your main dashboard list, the “Most Viewed” and “Expiring Soon” widgets, even the confirmation when you send an invite. No title set? You’ll still see the filename, exactly like before, so nothing changes unless you want it to.

And since search already looks at titles, descriptions, filenames, and IDs, a good name also means you can actually find a link again three weeks later.

💡 Takes 30 seconds per link. Do it once and never lose track of a share again.

Upload once, send to everyone — each with their own private link

This is the big one.

PDF Hosting → Send to multiple recipients.

Upload your document a single time, paste in a list of names (and emails, if you want to send automatically), and get back a completely separate, independently-trackable link for every single person on your list.

That last part matters more than it sounds like: each recipient’s link points to their own copy behind the scenes. If you need to shut off access for one person — because they left the project, or their copy leaked, or you just made a mistake — you can kill that one link without touching anyone else’s. Nobody else even notices.

How the recipient list works — one person per line, in whatever format is easiest:

Sarah Jones <sarah@example.com>
Mike Chen, mike@example.com
Alex Rivera
producer@example.com

No email? The name just becomes that person’s label. Got an email? Check “Email each recipient their link now” and FileDrop sends it for you the moment the batch is created (available on Pro plans and above) — or skip that and you’ll land on a results page listing every link next to its recipient’s name, ready to copy and paste wherever you need it.

Every setting you’d expect applies across the whole batch — expiration date, view limits, a passcode, whether the file can be downloaded, even requiring email verification before anyone can view it. And if you’re worried about leaks specifically, this is where it gets good:

Trace a leak back to exactly who it came from

On the Pro plan and above, you can turn on a watermark for the whole batch. On Business+, you can customize the watermark text with a {name} placeholder — something like:

Confidential — For {name}

FileDrop swaps in each recipient’s name automatically, so every single copy carries a visible, personal mark. If a copy ever turns up somewhere it shouldn’t, you’re not guessing — the watermark tells you exactly whose copy it was.

Anything the batch form doesn’t cover — custom branding, flipbook mode, tweaking one specific link after the fact — you can still change individually on any share, exactly like before. The bulk tool handles the “send this to fifty people” part; everything else works the same as it always has.

Keep hundreds of links organized in folders

Once you’re sending links in batches, you need somewhere to put them. Folders do exactly what you’d expect.

• Click + New folder above your link list and name it — “Crew,” “Cast,” “Producers,” “Q4 Clients,” whatever fits how you work.
• Click any folder to filter your list down to just what’s inside it. All and Uncategorised are always there too, so nothing you already have gets hidden.
• Got existing links to organize? Tick the checkboxes next to them and a bar pops up at the bottom of the screen with a Move to folder option.
• Creating new links? Both the single upload page and the multi-recipient page let you pick a folder right from the start — no need to move things afterward.
• Renaming or deleting a folder is one click (the pencil and trash icons next to the folder you’re currently viewing). Deleting a folder never deletes what’s inside it — everything just moves back to Uncategorised.

Folders are flat — no folders-inside-folders — which keeps things simple. For grouping by recipient type, project, or client, one level is all you need.

Ditch the random characters in your link

Every FileDrop account starts with a link like yourname-a1b2c3.filedrop.me — that random string at the end was never meant to be permanent, just a placeholder. Now you can actually change it.

Head to account settings → Custom Domain, and you’ll see a new Your FileDrop Link section right at the top. Type in the name you actually want, hit save, and that’s your new link.

A couple of things worth knowing:

• Nothing breaks. Any link you already sent out under your old name keeps working — it just quietly redirects to your new one. Nobody who has an old link will ever see a broken page.
• One change per week. Not a paid restriction — just enough friction that renaming stays a deliberate choice rather than something you accidentally cycle through.
• Your previous names are listed right there on the settings page, so you always know what’s still redirecting.

Want to go further and use your own domain entirely — docs.yourcompany.com instead of anything ending in .filedrop.me? That’s the Custom Domain feature just below, available on Business Plus and Max plans.

The quick version

For everything else PDF Hosting can do — access control, viewer options, analytics — see the full feature reference.

Give it a try, and let us know what you think.

Don’t forget to review the previous announcement and updates.

• Automations for FileDrop Forms
• Tables updates and fixes
• PDF Links Design Update

FileDrop’s tools now talk to each other. Contacts is a real address book you can type into. Shared PDFs can trigger automations the moment someone opens them. Automations can read the text and tables out of uploaded documents. And the people who open your files end up in your contacts automatically.

Contacts

Contacts used to be a list FileDrop assembled from your form activity. You could look at it, but not change it. Now it is a real record.

Adding someone

Contacts → Add contact. Email is the only required field; name, phone and stage are optional.

This is the one that matters if enquiries reach you by phone or in person — you no longer have to send someone a form just to get them into the system.

Notes

Open any contact and use the note box. Notes appear in that person’s timeline alongside their form submissions, file requests and PDF opens, so the whole history is on one page.

Stages

Every account starts with New → Contacted → Qualified → Won → Lost. These are just a starting point — use Manage stages on the Contacts page to rename, recolour, reorder, add or delete them:

• A tutoring centre: Enquiry → Tour booked → Trial lesson → Enrolled
• An agency: Lead → Proposal sent → Client

Mark one stage as Default and new contacts created by a form submission, a PDF open or an automation land there. Deleting a stage keeps the contacts in it — they simply lose the stage.

Filter the contact list by stage from the dropdown at the top.

If you don’t want stages, ignore them. Pick No stage when adding someone and the field never gets in your way. They only become load-bearing if you want scheduled requests to target a group.

Where contacts come from

Everyone is matched on their email address, so the same person is never duplicated no matter how many ways they reach you.

Following up with a whole group at once

Scheduled requests can now target a contact stage instead of a typed list of addresses.

Forms → Scheduled requests → New, then switch the recipient picker from Type addresses to Contact stage.

The important part: the list is worked out fresh every time the request sends. Set up “chase everyone still at Enquiry every 3 days” once, and anyone who moves into that stage next week gets chased too — without you touching it. Anyone who responds and moves on drops out automatically.

Combine it with the existing retry settings (retry up to N times, N days apart, stop after they respond) and the whole follow-up sequence runs itself.

Capped at 100 recipients per run.

Knowing when someone opens your PDF

Shared PDFs can now start an automation.

Automations → New, pick Shared PDF Activity as the source, then choose:

Pick a specific file, or leave it on Any shared PDF to watch everything you share.

What you can do with it

Anything the automation builder already offers — Slack, email, Google Chat, a webhook, an Airtable record, a new sheet row, or adding the reader to your contacts.

Details you can use in the message

So a Slack message like:

{viewer_email} just opened "{file_title}" and spent {time_spent_seconds}s on it

Refreshing the page doesn’t re-notify you.

Note: {viewer_email} is only known when the shared file has Require email verification turned on. Without it, opens are recorded anonymously.

Turning PDF readers into contacts

Anyone who requests access to or opens a shared PDF is now added to your contacts automatically, tagged as a PDF share contact.

Their opens and downloads show up on their contact timeline, so you can see the full story in one place: sent the intake form → they submitted → opened the proposal twice → downloaded it.

Keeping the gathered emails in a table

Previously the only way to get access emails out was a one-off CSV download. Now you can connect a live table instead.

Any file with Require email verification turned on now shows a line under it:

Collecting viewer emails · 12 gathered      Download CSV   Keep in a table

Keep in a table creates a table that updates itself, with:

Once connected, the same line tells you where the addresses are going and gives you Open table and Stop updating. Because it is a normal FileDrop table, you can share, embed or export it — handing a colleague a read-only link instead of emailing spreadsheets around.

The CSV export still works exactly as before. Turning the sync off leaves the table and its data in place.

Available on Business Plus and Max, same as the CSV export.

Reading what people upload

Two new automation actions turn uploaded documents into usable data.

Read text (OCR)

Adds the document’s text as {ocr_text}, which any later action in the same automation can use — email it to yourself, write it to a sheet, push it to Airtable.

Engine has two settings:

• Balanced — fast, good for clean scans and typed documents. Use this by default.
• Most accurate — reads handwriting and messy scans, detects the language on its own, slower on large files. Use it when Balanced returns nonsense.

Extract table (OCR)

Pulls a real table out of a document — an invoice, a price list, a timesheet — and gives you:

• {ocr_table_markdown} — the whole table, readable in an email
• {ocr_table_col_1}, {ocr_table_col_2}, … — the first data row split into cells, so you can map them to sheet or table columns

This always uses the most accurate engine, because it is the only one that understands table structure. No setting to get wrong.

Which file gets read

Leave File to read blank and it uses the file attached to whatever triggered the automation — the form upload, or the shared PDF. Otherwise give it a URL, or a column that holds one, like {column:C}.

A worked example

“When a client uploads an invoice, pull out the line items and log them.”

1. Source: Form Submission, pick your upload form
2. Action 1: Extract table (OCR)
3. Action 2: New row, mapping {submitter_email} to column A, {ocr_table_col_1} to B, {ocr_table_col_2} to C

Three steps, no third-party tools.

Starting from a recipe

The automation builder now opens with Start from a recipe — prefilled starting points you can edit afterwards:

• Tell me when a client opens a document
• Email me on every download
• Add document readers to contacts
• New client onboarding
• Read what clients upload
• Pull tables out of uploaded invoices

You only see recipes you can actually run. If you have never shared a PDF, the PDF recipes are hidden; if Google Drive isn’t connected, the ones needing Drive are hidden too.

Pick one, give it a name, review the steps, save.

Importing an existing list

Contacts → Import CSV. Pick your file, confirm which columns hold the email, name and phone, and import. FileDrop reads the header row and guesses the mapping for you.

• People you already have are updated, not duplicated — matched on email
• Rows without a valid email address are skipped and counted
• The same address twice in one file counts once
• Up to 5 MB and 5,000 rows per file

You can drop everyone into a stage on the way in, or leave it as No stage.

If you already work in Tables

Contacts → Tables holds two optional extras for people who use the Tables feature:

• Bring an existing table into contacts — promote a table you already have, choosing which column holds the email address.
• Mirror contacts into a table — a read-only copy of your contacts as a table, if you want to share or embed the list. Your contacts stay the source of truth.

Neither is needed for a normal import. For a plain spreadsheet, use Import CSV.

Smaller fixes

• Email and Phone column types in Tables now work correctly. Previously choosing either produced an error.

This is a small update on what we delivered in the last update.

Here’s what’s new:

Group your rows by any column

You can now group your gallery cards or table rows by any column — department, category, status, region, whatever makes sense for your data.

So instead of one long list of 80 people, you get Engineering (12), Marketing (8), Sales (15)… each with their own section header. It works in both gallery and table view, on your public share page too.

Email and phone columns

Two new column types: Email and Phone. Values display as clickable links — tap an email to open your mail app, tap a phone number to call. Simple, but it makes a big difference when you’re using a Table as a directory or contact list.

What this unlocks

These two additions together open up a whole category of use cases we hadn’t fully leaned into:

• Team / employee directory — headshot, name, department (grouped), email, phone
• Vendor or supplier list — logo, company, category (grouped), contact email and phone
• Freelancer or contractor roster — photo, specialty (grouped), email, rate
• Community resource guide — org photo, service type (grouped), contact info
• Speaker directory — headshot, name, track (grouped), email, bio

If you have a form set up with FileDrop, you can connect it to a Table so every new submission automatically adds a row. Collect headshots and contact info through a form, display the results as a live visual directory — no manual entry.

Coming up

We’re working on more view options and smarter ways to connect your forms and tables. If there’s a use case you’re trying to build,  let us know — we read every response.

Sign up and test the Tables tool here.

Instead of forcing people to rebuild forms, sort uploads by hand, or juggle half a dozen tools, the latest updates make the process faster, cleaner, and easier to manage in one place.

Import Google Forms without rebuilding everything

One of the biggest time-savers is the new Google Forms import for file upload forms. If you already have a form with fields set up, you can bring it directly into FileDrop and duplicate it with the same structure.

That matters because recreating forms field by field is the kind of busywork that slows people down. With this update, you can move from an existing Google Form into FileDrop without starting from scratch. The fields are already there, ready to use.

For anyone who has spent too long rebuilding intake forms for different teams or departments, this change removes friction right away.

A better Google Sheets workflow

FileDrop also expanded its Google Sheets add-on with a new sidebar for file requests. From that panel, you can add your API key and start managing forms more directly.

The sidebar gives you a few useful options:

• create new forms for collecting files
• view the forms you already have
• see responses for each form
• insert responses directly into your Google Sheet

If you already have a Google Sheet connected to your form, FileDrop can sync the responses automatically. The new manual setup adds another layer of control for teams that want more visibility or need a different workflow.

There is also search support and a few other improvements, which makes the add-on more practical when you are dealing with multiple forms and lots of incoming submissions.

OCR for PDFs and images

Another useful addition is OCR for responses. If someone uploads a PDF or image and you need the text extracted, you can now do that directly on the response page.

That same capability also works in the Tables tool, which FileDrop is using to organize information more intelligently. If your workflow involves reviewing scanned documents, screenshots, or image-based files, OCR can save a lot of manual copying and retyping.

It is a small feature on paper, but in day-to-day use, it can make a real difference when your team is processing large volumes of uploads.

Templates and security built in

FileDrop also added new templates that you can create with a single click. These are built for different departments and use cases, including HR and finance.

That is a smart move because not every team wants to design a file request form from zero. Templates give people a practical starting point and help standardize how uploads are collected across the organization.

Security got an upgrade too. FileDrop now includes an in-house spam and antivirus protection tool called Verifence. It is free, available to all users, and you can turn it on at any time.

Verifence can help protect forms from unwanted email addresses and spam, and it can scan for phishing links or viruses hidden inside documents like PDFs, Word files, and presentations. For any team collecting files from outside users, that kind of protection is necessary.

More embedding options and better analytics

If you want to collect files directly on your own site, FileDrop now offers more embedding options depending on the website or CMS you use. That includes WordPress and other platforms.

In other words, you do not have to rely only on FileDrop links if you want the upload experience to live on your own website.

FileDrop has also improved the analytics. You will now see more details about the people filling out your forms and uploading files. That makes it easier to understand who is submitting what, and where your file collection process may need adjustment.

There were also some design updates aimed at making the tool easier to use overall. You will notice those changes once you log in.

Try the new features

The theme across all these updates is simple: fewer manual steps, more control, and better visibility. Whether you are importing a Google Form, syncing responses into Sheets, extracting text from uploads, or locking down your forms with Verify, FileDrop is making file collection more efficient from end to end.

If you are already using FileDrop, now is a good time to explore the new features. And if you have not tried it yet, sign up for FileDrop and see how much easier file requests can be when FileDrop builds the workflow to handle the details for you.

Don’t forget to review the previous announcement and updates.

FileDrop is the best form for file uploads

We made many changes under the hood for the file upload forms and the front end as well.

• FileDrop Forms now include one time or recurring campaigns
• You can change the field type like in Google Forms
• Conversational mode – Any form can look like a Typeforms like, with one question per page. Great for mobiles also.
• Themes – you can apply a quick theme and make your form beatiful easily.
• Import from Google Forms – You can import form fields from your Google Forms

Tables (rename from Catalogs)

• We are still playing with the FileDrop Tables tool and are gathering feedback from users that want to create better interfaces from their data they want to share online.
• Sync form submissions to Tables setting – any form can submit data to the table.
• Embed on any website from the share button.
• Import from Google Sheets – schedulded sync – any Sheet can be a table source.
• Preview file in modal – files types supported: pdf/image media audio/video, html,md
• File column – upload any file type

Plan upgrades

All users now are upgraded to the following limits.

• Pro: 1000 submissions/300 invites,
• Business+: 3000 submissions/1000 invites,
• Executive plan is now Max: 10000 submissions/5000 invites

What’s next

Request a feature you need and contact us.

If you are not a user yet, please register here for a free account to test our features.

The idea is simple: bring the familiar structure of Google Sheets into FileDrop’s web app, then add the parts Sheets never quite gets right for visual content.

That means better control over image display, cleaner presentation options, and a workflow that feels much closer to a real image library than a workaround.

Introducing FileDrop Tables: Image Catalogs for Product Lists, Shot Lists, and Asset Libraries

View Video Demo

A lot of FileDrop users have already been using the Google Sheets add-on to build image libraries and catalog-style lists. That works fine until image quality, sizing, and layout start getting in the way.

Sheets can be useful for organizing data, but it is not always friendly when the end goal is something people actually want to look at.

That is the gap FileDrop Tables is trying to close.

The new feature pairs a spreadsheet-like interface with the uploader inside the web app. On one side, you have the spreadsheet view. On the other, the uploader. Together, they recreate the basic comfort of working in a sheet while making the end result easier to present, share, and browse.

What you can do with it

The workflow starts with uploading images. You can drag and drop files directly, including zip archives, which makes it easy to move a larger set of images at once. For now, the limit is 200 images, which should cover plenty of use cases without getting unwieldy.

Once the images are in, you can choose how they appear:

• image in cell
• image with name and date
• link only

You can also sort the images before inserting them, which matters if order is part of the way you want the library to read. A catalog is not just a pile of files; the sequence shapes how useful it feels. FileDrop gives you that control up front.

After upload, the list becomes editable. You can change, delete, or rework columns to fit the kind of library you’re building. The available field types include:

• image
• text
• text area
• numbers
• select
• date
• URL
• checkbox
• status

By default, columns come in as text, but you can adjust them to match the information you want to store. That means a product list can include name, price, and description. A visual archive can carry dates, URLs, or status flags. The point is not just to hold images, but to organize the context around them.

More than a list: export, share, and view it your way

A strong catalog is only useful if you can get it out of the system cleanly. FileDrop adds export options for CSV, Excel with images, and PDF. The PDF export also comes with its own options, which gives the feature more range than a simple data dump.

Sharing is built in too. You can share these catalogues through links, and you can display them as a gallery, a table, or both. That matters because not every audience wants the same view. A gallery is better when the images matter most. A table helps when the data matters most. Having both lets you switch between presentation and utility without rebuilding everything.

The gallery view also has its own controls. You can choose which fields appear beneath each image, so you are not stuck with a fixed layout. If you want date, name, and URL under each item, you can set that up. If you want price instead, you can swap that in as well. You can also rename fields to make the display feel more polished and more specific to the use case.

Search is included too, and you can filter it down to only items that actually have images. That keeps the library practical when the data set grows or when some entries are still incomplete.

Why this matters for people already using Google Sheets

This update clearly targets users who like the organizational power of spreadsheets but are tired of bending them into something they were not designed to be. If you have ever built a visual catalog in Google Sheets, you already know the tradeoff: it is flexible, but not always beautiful, and sometimes the image quality or layout just does not hold up.

FileDrop is trying to make that transition easier. Instead of forcing a sheet to act like a gallery, it gives you a sheet-like setup that is actually designed for image libraries. That is a small shift on paper, but it changes the experience in practice.

The feature is still in beta, so FileDrop is actively asking for feedback and bug reports. That is a good sign, especially for a tool like this, where real-world use will probably surface the most important improvements. There is also a naming note: these catalogues may get a different name later.

FAQ

Is the FileDrop Table tool available to everyone?

Yes. Free users can access it, though with some limits. Paid plans get the fuller experience.

How many images can I upload?

Right now, the limit is 200 images per upload.

Can I upload more than one file at a time?

Yes. You can drag and drop files, including zip archives.

What kinds of fields can I use in the catalog?

You can use image, text, text area, numbers, select, date, URL, checkbox, and status fields.

Can I export my catalog?

Yes. Export options include CSV, Excel with images, and PDF.

Can I change how the catalog is displayed?

Yes. You can switch between gallery, table, or both, and you can control which fields appear under images in gallery view.

FileDrop is clearly betting that people want the convenience of a spreadsheet without the compromises that usually come with forcing images into one. If that sounds like your workflow, this update is worth trying now — especially while users still shape it with feedback.

Don’t forget to review the previous announcement and updates.

Branding

Now is easier to brand all your forms, PDF links and threads. Go to your profile and setup your brand details with logo, colors and custom text.

These details will be applied when the default branding option will be selected.

Lite plan upgrades and more resources

If you are on the Lite plan, you got automatically access to more resources. You now have access to our professional PDF sharing tools, see on our pricing page.

Team Members included in Business+ and Executive

Another upgrade is for our Business+ and Executive users, now you can share the account resources with team members that can create  forms to collect files, share PDF links or create threads for file sharing.

Invite your colleagues and collaborate on what is important.

These users don’t have access to the Google Workspace add-on, that still needs a separate license.

New Videos + Blog Posts

See our latest video updates on our Youtube channel and our blog.

Send us feedback from the app

We add a small widget that allows any user to send us feedback in real time.

Review us here for the web app and for the add-on here.

What’s next

New native integrations are coming soon. If you need help or have a feature request please contact us.

If you are not a user yet, please register here for a free account to test our features.

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File Forms – Custom Links

Users now can edit the url of their form and personalized it as they wish.

Edit the URL and save. Here is a quick video:

PDF Links – Personalize URL

You can now personalize your PDF file URL, just edit the link and save. Redirection is automatic.

PDF Links – Update and Replace PDF File

You can also replace the PDF file and make updates to the file when needed without creating a new link.

New Direction

As FileDrop evolves we decided to focus more on where we think we can bring at the most value for our users.

We want to deliver an outstanding app for collecting files and data through our forms and deliver or share files via our PDF Links.

This means we need to remove some of the features and tools that we were used less and less. We are depricating all our file processing tools in going forward.

File Processing Tools – Deprecated

Our file processing tools and API endpoints are deprecated and will no longer be available starting today.

We are also moving all our free tools for file processing to our other website DocsJam where you find free tools and resources.

What’s next

We are continuing to add integrations for both data and storage like OneDrive. If you need help or have a feature request please contact us.

If you are not a user yet, please register here for a free account to test our features.

Don’t forget to review the previous announcement and updates.

Dropbox integration

User can now save the files automatically to any Dropbox folder they wish. The integration is very similar to our Google Drive, just connect your Dropbox account, select the folder and you are set. All submissions go to that folder.

Team Members

Allow your team to access the tools available in your account. User can see submissions, create forms, upload files, exchange messages and much more from a shared account with shared resources. Subusers can’t invite other users or access billing and the account settings.

Submissions Notifications

Set up to 5 email addresses to receive notifications when a submission is added to a form.

Timeout for file submissions

When submitting files, users were getting some timeout errors, we added a small update and users can take their time to submit longer forms or add multiple files.

Design updates

Small design updates inside the app that makes it easier to work with some of the tools.

Overage charges

Each plan has included a number of submissions now you can go over the limit and you no longer need to upgrade. If in a month there might be slightly increase number of submissions than the allowed plan you don’t have to upgrade to a more expensive plan.

This is optional and can be enabled from the profile settings.

Activity Log

A record of actions taken on your account. Retained for compliance purposes.

These are the updates for this week. If you want to test any of these features see our pricing here and sign up.

Recurring Campaigns

Ask for documents from users automatically at any time on a schedule.

Portals Mode for Forms

You can enable the Portal mode and have a pin access file uploads type of portal for the forms.

2FA – My profile

Set up a more secure account with Google Authenticator or similar app. Easiest way to secure your account.

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We made other different improvements to Google Drive integration, Google Sheets, Image conversions optimization and much more.

These are the latest updates this week, we will have more goodies for you soon. Sign up here to test if you are not a user already.